Layer cookie tongs

ABSTRACT

Layer cookie tongs include a first arm connected to a first handle and a second arm connected to a second handle. A swivel joint connects the first arm to the second arm. A layer cookie has a first cookie layer, a second cookie layer and a middle filling layer. A filling groove is formed as an indented portion of the middle filling layer edge from the first cookie layer edge and the second cookie layer edge. The first arm and the second arm are configured to engage the filling groove. The first arm as a first arm indent, and the second arm has a second arm indent.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of food tongs.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Layer cookies having a sandwiched filling are popular and consumers liketo dip them in milk to improve the taste. A variety of different tongsand some tongs especially designed for cookies have been discussed inthe prior art. For example, a some prior art references show layercookie tongs. In United States patent number D784096S1, Cookie-dippingtongs by inventor R Jones, published Apr. 18, 2017 the claim discloses,“An ornamental design for a cookie-dipping tongs, as shown anddescribed.”

General application tongs include for example, the U.S. Pat. No.2,559,978, Tongs by inventor John L Marco, published Jul. 10, 1951discloses, “Broadly, it is an object of my invention to provide tongs ofsimple and inexpensive construction bent so that a large variety ofarticles can be picked up. More particularly, it is an object of myinvention to provide tongs which can pick up hot and cold objects withease without the danger of dropping such objects and without the dangerof burning the fingers of the user.”

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,747,912, Kitchen Tongs by inventor Murry HFranklin, published. May 29, 1956 discloses, “The principal object ofthis invention resides in the provision of kitchen tongs which may beused to handle hot meats and vegetables without endangering the hands ofthe user by burns from steam, hot gases, and grease while cooking,serving and preparing foods.” Also for example, in the U.S. Pat. No.3,361,468, entitled Food Turning Tongs by inventor Ralph M Case,published Jan. 2, 1968 discloses, “The present invention relates broadlyto culinary instruments, and more specifically to improved turning tongsfor use in the broiling, grilling or frying of hamburgers, frankfurtersand the like.”

In the U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,993, entitled Food Handling Tongs by inventorFannie L. Lowery et al., published May 11, 1999 the specificationdiscloses, “Food handling tongs having a first arm and a second arm,each of which includes a front end, a rear end and a middle portion, andpivotally connected to one another in a scissors-like manner. A bottomplate is attached to an upper surface of the first arm and a top plateis attached to the lower surface of the second arm whereby the top andbottom plates move toward and away from one another as the food handlingtongs are moved between open and closed positions. A plurality ofparallel rows of serrated teeth are formed on an inner surface of thetop and bottom plates. Each row of teeth extends between a pair ofopposed sides of each plate. The rows are positioned one after the otherfrom a front end of the plates to a rear end of the plates. The rear endof each arm includes a looped handle member which forms a fingerreceiving opening. A coil spring extends between the first and secondarms and is positioned between the pivotal connection of the arms andthe handle members to bias the food handling tongs towards the closedposition.”

Also for example, in United States patent number 20040104586A1, Tongs byinventor Hidenobu Hamazaki et al., published Nov. 27, 2007 the abstractdiscloses, “A first tong member includes a first 4-joint linkage, inwhich both pairs of opposite rods are substantially equal, in length, toeach other; a second tong member likewise includes a second 4-jointlinkage, in which both pairs of opposite rods are substantially equal;and the first and second linkages have one of the foregoing rods incommon. The first linkage has a first arm extended from the rod oppositeto the common rod, and the second linkage likewise has a second armextended from the rod opposite to the common rod, so that whenrespective actuating tails of the first and second tong members areoperated in an arcuate manner, an opening width in the article-seizingarea is configured to be capable of being adjusted, while the first andsecond extended arms in a substantially parallel relationship with eachother maintain a substantially constant distance defined in between.”

In the U.S. Pat. No. 7,300,083, Food utensil by inventor Sarah Rosepublished Jun. 3, 2004 the abstract discloses, “The present inventiondescribes a utensil for retrieving contents from a container.”

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Layer cookie tongs include a first arm connected to a first handle and asecond arm connected to a second handle. A swivel joint connects thefirst arm to the second arm. A layer cookie has a first cookie layer, asecond cookie layer and a middle filling layer. A filling groove isformed as an indented portion of the middle filling layer edge from thefirst cookie layer edge and the second cookie layer edge. The first armand the second arm are configured to engage the filling groove. Thefirst arm as a first time indent, and the second arm has a second armindent. The first arm is configured to engage the first cookie layeredge and the second cookie layer edge. The second arm is configured toengage the first cookie layer edge and the second cookie layer edge. Thefirst arm and the second arm both have a flexible arm portion and arigid arm portion. The first arm and the second arm both have an armengagement edge. The arm engagement edge is configured to engage thefirst cookie layer edge at a first cookie contact, and is configured toengage the second cookie layer edge at a second cookie layer contact.

The first arm as a first arm indent, and the second arm has a second armindent. The arm engagement edge is formed at the first arm indent andthe second arm indent. The first arm is configured to engage the firstcookie layer edge and the second cookie layer edge. The second arm isconfigured to engage the first cookie layer edge and the second cookielayer edge. The first arm and the second arm both have a flexible armportion and a rigid arm portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the present invention in closed position.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the present invention in open position.

FIG. 3 is a view of the present invention grasping a layer cookie.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the present invention in closed position.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the present invention in closed position.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the present invention in closed position whenthe flexible portion is elongated.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the present invention in open position whenthe flexible portion elongated.

The following callouts can be a useful guide for referencing the calloutnumbers on the drawings.

-   20 Tongs-   21 First Arm-   22 Second Arm-   23 First Handle-   24 Second Handle-   25 First Arm Indent-   26 Second Arm Indent-   27 First Arm Tip-   28 Second Arm Tip-   29 Swivel Joint-   30 Layer Cookie-   31 First Cookie Layer-   32 Second Cookie Layer-   33 Middle Filling Layer-   34 Filling Layer Edge-   35 First Cookie Layer Edge-   36 Second Cookie Layer Edge-   37 Cookie First Contact-   38 Cookie Second Contact-   39 Filling Layer Edge Contact-   41 Filling Groove-   42 Flexible Arm Portion-   43 Rigid Arm Portion-   44 Cookie Profile-   45 Arm Profile-   46 Arm Engagement Edge

DISCUSSION DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As seen in FIG. 1, a pair of tongs 20 has a first arm 21 and a secondarm 22. A first handle 23 is attached to the first arm 21, and a secondhandle 24 is attached to a second arm 22. The first arm 21 has a firstarm indent 25 and the second arm has a second arm indent 26. The firstarm 21 has a first arm tip 27 and the second arm has a second arm tip28. The first arm 21 and the second arm 22 are connected at a swiveljoint 29. The first arm and the second arm can be formed from elongatedcylindrical steel rods.

As seen in FIG. 2, a pair of tongs 20 is in the open position where thefirst arm 21 is biased away from the second arm 22. The first handle 23is also biased away from the second handle 24. The first arm indent 25and the second arm indent 26 are preferably shaped to conform to andexternal periphery of a layer cookie. The first arm tip 27 and thesecond arm tip 28 are preferably slightly rounded to allow grasping ofthe layer cookie. The swivel joint 29 allows the first arm 21 to swivelrelative to the second arm 22.

As seen in FIG. 3, a first arm tip 27 and a second arm tip 28 of thetongs 20 can grasp the layer cookie 30 around a cookie profile 44 whichis attached to the arm profile 45 at an arm engagement edge 46. Theengaging portion of the tips are preferably radiused to conform to aradius of the cookie. The layer cookie 30 preferably has a fillinggroove 41 defined around a central periphery of the cookie. The firstarm and the second arm can have a flexible arm portion 42 and a rigidarm portion 43 so that a user can hold the tongs 20 at the rigid armportion 43 and then the flexible arm portion 42 act as leaf springs sothat the arm profile 45 having the arm engagement edge 46 can applyoptimum bias to the cookie profile 44. Optimum bias allows graspingwithout disassembly of the cookie.

As seen in FIG. 4, the tongs 20 engage the layer cookie 30 via a firstarm 21 and a second arm 22. The first cookie layer 31 and the secondcookie layer 32 can sandwich a middle filling layer 33. The middlefilling layer 33 preferably includes a filling layer edge 34 at acircumferential periphery of the middle filling layer 33. The first arm21 engages the first cookie layer edge 35 of the first cookie layer 31and engages the second cookie layer edge 36 of the second cookie layer32. The first cookie contact 37 occurs at the first cookie layer edge35, and the second cookie contact 38 occurs at the second cookie layeredge 36. Additionally, the first arm 21, and the second arm 22 canengage to a filling layer edge 34.

As seen in FIG. 5, the tongs 20 may have a profiled cross-section pairof arms including the first arm 21 and the second arm 22. The pair ofarms can engage the layer cookie 30 at the filling groove 41 between thefirst cookie layer 31 and the second cookie layer 32 at a middle fillinglayer 33. The profile can be a bullnose profile.

As seen in FIG. 6, the tongs 20 can have a different length of theflexible portion, where the first arm 21 and the second arm 22 are bothelongated while the first handle 23 and the second handle 24 are not.The first arm indent 25 and the second arm indent 26 may provide aspring bias that is adapted to the texture of the layer cookie.Similarly, the first arm tip 27 and the second arm tip 28 can be used toengage the left and right sides of the cookie. In this way, the cookiecan be grasped using the flexible tips.

As seen in FIG. 7, the tongs 20 in open position with a longer flexibleportion in open position can have a first arm 21 extending parallel to asecond arm 22 to allow for grasping a larger size cookie. Preferably,the layer cookie is configured to lodge in the first arm indent 25 andthe second arm indent 26. The first arm indent and the second arm indentcan have a radius of curvature configured to conform to the circulardisc-shaped cookie.

The first and second cookie layer can be made with a dough such as adough including butter, powdered sugar, dark cocoa powder, salt, vanillaand flour. The cream filling middle layer can be made with a mixtureincluding powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and water. Thefirst cookie layer, the second cookie layer and the middle filling layerare preferably disc-shaped such that the first cookie layer and thesecond cookie layer have a larger diameter than the middle fillinglayer. The first and second cookie layers are more rigid than the middlefilling layer. The dough for the first and second cookie layer can bemade with a recipe having the proportions of 1½ cups butter, 1 cupsugar, ½ cup dark cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla,and 1½ cups flour. The cream middle filling layer can be made with arecipe having the portions of 3 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup butter, 2tablespoons vanilla extract and water.

The first and second cookie layers are baked at 350° F. forapproximately 10 minutes. Preferably, the diameter of the middle fillinglayer has a ratio to the first cookie layer and the second cookie layerof 90%. The middle filling layer has a tensile force sufficient toretain the cookie layers while dipping.

1. Layer cookie tongs comprising: a. a first arm connected to a firsthandle; b. a second arm connected to a second handle; c. a swivel jointconnecting the first arm to the second arm; d. a layer cookie comprisinga first cookie layer, a second cookie layer and a middle filling layer;and e. a filling groove formed as an indented portion of the middlefilling layer edge from the first cookie layer edge and the secondcookie layer edge, wherein the first arm and the second arm areconfigured to engage the filling groove.
 2. The layer cookie tongs ofclaim 1, wherein the first arm as a first time indent, and wherein thesecond arm has a second arm indent.
 3. The layer cookie tongs of claim1, wherein the first arm is configured to engage the first cookie layeredge and the second cookie layer edge, and wherein the second arm isconfigured to engage the first cookie layer edge and the second cookielayer edge.
 4. The layer cookie tongs of claim 1, wherein the first armand the second arm both have a flexible arm portion and a rigid armportion.
 5. The layer cookie tongs of claim 1, wherein the first arm andthe second arm both have an arm engagement edge, wherein the armengagement edge is configured to engage the first cookie layer edge at afirst cookie contact, and is configured to engage the second cookielayer edge at a second cookie layer contact.
 6. The layer cookie tongsof claim 5, wherein the first arm as a first arm indent, and wherein thesecond arm has a second arm indent, wherein the arm engagement edge isformed at the first arm indent and the second arm indent.
 7. The layercookie tongs of claim 5, wherein the first arm is configured to engagethe first cookie layer edge and the second cookie layer edge, andwherein the second arm is configured to engage the first cookie layeredge and the second cookie layer edge.
 8. The layer cookie tongs ofclaim 5, wherein the first arm and the second arm both have a flexiblearm portion and a rigid arm portion.